Following an article in The New York Times, which listed a series of abuses conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Senate created a committee to hold hearings on possible abuses by the nation's intelligence agencies. Chaired by Idaho Democrat Frank Church, these hearings uncovered a series of covert operations undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) while under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover. F.A.O. Schwartz, Jr., one of the investigators in the hearings, described how the FBI kept detailed notes on law-abiding citizens that advocated for social reforms.